First Steps In Real Estate Investing

July 28, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

With so many people making tremendous amounts of money in property or real estate it’s no wonder so many are looking at real estate as an investment. It offers more security than the stock market, provides great potential returns, offers tax benefits and it sounds cool to be ‘in real estate’.

One challenge many are faced with is the money to acquire a piece of property. You’ve heard, “I would love to invest in real estate, but I just can’t afford to!” Hardly anyone who buys a piece of real estate has enough money to pay for it. That’s where your banker comes in.

Owning your own home may sound like a somewhat obvious way to get started in real estate, but it is also a very good way to do so. This step is overlooked by a lot of people. Just take a look at how many people are still renting a property instead of buying one. People rent because in their mind, “they don’t have enough money to buy a house.” In reality it would be much cheaper for them to buy!

When you rent,you’re not building anything long term. Every dollar you spend on rent is a dollar you will never see again. If you own your own home, you would be paying your mortgage. The basics of practically all mortgages are more or less the same. Every month you make a payment which consists of two parts: interest and principle. Interest can be compared to rent. Those dollars are gone and you will never hear from them again. The part of the payment that goes to the principle is money you keep. Every dollar used to pay off the principal is a dollar you put in your own pocket.

So if you’re thinking about getting started in real estate and you don’t ‘own’ your own house yet… Change it, and get some experience. It’s a great first step towards building your capital and it makes more sense financially. There are opportunities for accelerating the process of building your net worth. When real estate prices go up, so does the value of your property. The money you owe the bank, your mortgage, remains the same. In other words this helps you build your net worth. People that pay rent… Their net worth does nothing. Their landlord’s net worth is doing very nicely in this scenario and he or she will probably love you for it. So if you get a warm feeling about making somebody else rich at your own expense… keep renting. To build your own capital … Buy your own house!

Many home owners have accumulated more money through appreciation of their property than by working a full time job for years. Before you go out and buy the first property you see, don’t forget some security measures are in order. As you may or may not know, real estate prices do not always go up. This can be shocker to some people, as well as an ugly reminder for those who overlooked this minor detail. If for some reason you would have to sell your home in a down market, it can be a costly adventure. You wouldn’t be the first to end up with a house worth considerably less than the mortgage. Make sure to keep some slack. Overall, real estate prices have always been on the rise, but in any cycle there are down periods. By keeping some slack and being patient you will be able to sit through these times and profit from the long term up-trend.

About the Author: With many years in the industry of property or real estate, host, Sintilia Miecevole’s site http://www.miraproperty.com will help you with searches from taxes, listings including residential, commercial and land to unclaimed property, vacation, waterfront and much more. Be sure to visit http://www.miraproperty.com for further information.

Real Estate Investing Strategy: Make Money With Wholesaling

July 22, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

Your exit strategy is an extremely important part of your real estate investing business. In fact, it is one of the most important parts. Sometimes investors get excited because they learn how to buy properties, they find them and they get the money lined up to purchase them. But after the purchase, the excitement dies, as they have no idea what to do with their newly owned properties.

You must know your exit strategy when you buy. What do you plan to do with the property? Knowing this allows you to make all types of decisions, from how much to offer, to what kind of financing to use, and more. One strategy is to incorporate wholesaling into your real estate business plans.

What is Wholesaling?

It is simply finding a bargain property and passing it on to a bargain hunter. That bargain hunter will be an investor who will either purchase the property to resell it or purchase it to hold it for rental income. Your profit as a wholesaler should be between $5000 and $15,000 on each house. In some cases it will be higher than $15,000 and on some deals your profit may be a little lower than $5,000.

Why wholesale?

Real estate investors choose to wholesale properties for a few reasons. They could be:

1. Quick cash - it is possible to turn a property around anywhere from 7 to 45 days and get cash in your pocket. If you need to get your hands on some cash quickly, this would be a reason to wholesale. Or, you may not need the cash immediately. You might just want to build your cash reserves. Wholesaling is a good way to do this quickly.

2. Too many houses - maybe you’re good at finding houses, but you find more than you need or can use at any given time. If this is the case, wholesaling is a smart move for you. You can still profit from your locating skills, even if you aren’t going to keep the property for your own personal portfolio.

3. Flexibility - at any given time, you can determine whether you want to keep a property or sell it. This gives you flexibility as you locate and purchase properties.

An important fact to remember!

Probably the most important thing that you need to remember when you decide to wholesale is: your buyer should get the majority of the profit! This is important because your buyer will be the one to purchase and rehab the property. There has to be enough room in the deal for your buyer to do this and still retain a nice amount of money for cash out and/or equity.

This does not mean that you find properties and give them away for $1,000. Your profit will vary depending on the house, but the better you are at locating properties and putting together offers, the greater your profit will be - while still maintaining an excellent profit for your buyer.

Real Estate Investing Strategies For Making Residual Income Through Real Estate

May 20, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

Flipping houses has become a favorite way of making residual income through real estate money in real estate with several television programs taking up its cause. However, before you think it is an easy thing and jump into the rising bandwagon of house flippers you need to scrutinize the investing strategies. Do not think flipping is simply buying a house and then selling it. A lot goes into the whole process.

Let us take a look at some of the good strategies that you might want to follow in order to make the best out the burgeoning flipping houses business and in this process make a substantial amount of residual income through real estate.

You should be good at finding leads. At no point should leads be confused with deals. You should keep on implementing new strategies in order to promote your business. This will help you to get more leads. A successful business of flipping house means you have to be constantly on the lookout for properties that have potential. If you do not actively participate in the marketing and promotion of your business, you will not go far. In fact without this you will be left behind whereas your competitors who are heavily into promotions and leads will make all the profits and residual income through real estate.

The next big step after getting the leads is to convert them into actual deals. First of all you must ensure that your seller is motivated and that his or her offer makes financial sense to you. Collect as much information as possible. In this way you do not actually have to deal with people who are not motivated enough.

You have to plan your exit strategy well too. This is when you are ready to make the deal and prepared to sell the house. Though this is the final stage, you should spend some time right at the beginning in order to make the best profit. There are certain options you might want to think of when you consider your exit strategy.

The success of making a good amount of residual income through real estate depends largely on how quickly you move a property. Therefore it is essential to share a good rapport with real estate buyers and build a strong relation with them. You have to negotiate a good deal. Each investor looks at different criteria so you need to find in advance what they are looking for when you attempt to flip a property. Also keep in mind that you do not end up showing a higher priced home when in fact the investor is only interested in lower priced property.

If you master the above strategies, you can definitely make an interesting profit from residual income through real estate.

James Klobasa, once broke with no job and $20,000 in debt made a choice that changed his life forever. That choice was investing in Real Estate. With the founder of, The Little Building Co. you too, can learn at Real-Real Estate Investing

Real Estate Investing Strategy: Make Money With Wholesaling

May 17, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

Your exit strategy is an extremely important part of your real estate investing business. In fact, it is one of the most important parts. Sometimes investors get excited because they learn how to buy properties, they find them and they get the money lined up to purchase them. But after the purchase, the excitement dies, as they have no idea what to do with their newly owned properties.

You must know your exit strategy when you buy. What do you plan to do with the property? Knowing this allows you to make all types of decisions, from how much to offer, to what kind of financing to use, and more. One strategy is to incorporate wholesaling into your real estate business plans.

What is Wholesaling?

It is simply finding a bargain property and passing it on to a bargain hunter. That bargain hunter will be an investor who will either purchase the property to resell it or purchase it to hold it for rental income. Your profit as a wholesaler should be between $5000 and $15,000 on each house. In some cases it will be higher than $15,000 and on some deals your profit may be a little lower than $5,000.

Why wholesale?

Real estate investors choose to wholesale properties for a few reasons. They could be:

1. Quick cash - it is possible to turn a property around anywhere from 7 to 45 days and get cash in your pocket. If you need to get your hands on some cash quickly, this would be a reason to wholesale. Or, you may not need the cash immediately. You might just want to build your cash reserves. Wholesaling is a good way to do this quickly.

2. Too many houses - maybe you’re good at finding houses, but you find more than you need or can use at any given time. If this is the case, wholesaling is a smart move for you. You can still profit from your locating skills, even if you aren’t going to keep the property for your own personal portfolio.

3. Flexibility - at any given time, you can determine whether you want to keep a property or sell it. This gives you flexibility as you locate and purchase properties.

An important fact to remember!

Probably the most important thing that you need to remember when you decide to wholesale is: your buyer should get the majority of the profit! This is important because your buyer will be the one to purchase and rehab the property. There has to be enough room in the deal for your buyer to do this and still retain a nice amount of money for cash out and/or equity.

This does not mean that you find properties and give them away for $1,000. Your profit will vary depending on the house, but the better you are at locating properties and putting together offers, the greater your profit will be - while still maintaining an excellent profit for your buyer.

Private Money For Real Estate Investing

May 3, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

Real estate investors, especially beginners, often ask, ?How can I find private money for real estate investing?? This article explores the topic, and outlines a simple three-step approach for obtaining private money for real estate investing.

Finding private money for real estate investing is more about who you know than what you know. To be successful, leverage your existing relationships, and build new relationships with people who are in a position to help you reach your goals.

First, develop a clear, simple, two-to-three page business plan outlining your real estate strategy and tactics, how much profit you think you can make, how much you want to borrow, and how you plan to repay it to those who loan you private money for real estate investing.

Second, make a list of who you know and write a personal letter to them. Using your business plan as a guide, explain the type of investing you do, and emphasize that you?re looking for private money for real estate investing. Focus on the benefits for them? explain why they should loan you private money for real estate investing. Make sure you include how their money will be secured by the real estate, and how you plan to repay them.

Third, reach out beyond your circle of friends and acquaintances by holding a series of free seminars. This is the single best way to get private money for real estate investing. Don?t let this idea scare you, even if you don?t like the thought of speaking before a group. Once you develop your presentation, you can give it to as many or as few people at a time as you like- even if it?s just one-on-one!

There are plenty of tricks and tips available for using seminars to find private money for real estate investing. I?ve written a much more in-depth article on it, and you can find it at Private Money For Real Estate Investing. If you follow these steps, you?ll be far ahead of the other investors in your town!

Now, go make more offers!

Crush The Biggest Obstacle to Your Success in Real Estate… or Anything Else! Download my FREE report HERE!

Tom Dunn is a successful real estate investor and author of the popular DealFiles Real Estate Investor Stories free newsletter. You are welcome to share this report, unedited and in it’s entirety, with anyone you like. You may not remove this text.? 2007 by Tom Dunn. Website: http://www.dealfiles.com e-mail: tom@dealfiles.com

The First Steps In Real Estate Investing

April 30, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

With all the stories of people making tremendous amounts of money in real estate it’s no wonder why so many are looking at real estate as an investment vehicle. It offers more security than the stock market, provides great potential returns, offers tax benefits and let’s not forget; it sounds cool to be ‘in real estate’. Everybody can buy and sell stocks from their phone or computer these days. But real estate, now that’s something else.

One of the challenges that many are faced with is putting up the money to acquire a piece of property. Although in reality this is usually not the biggest obstacle. You might say “Hey, what do you mean, not an obstacle. I would love to invest in real estate, but I just can’t afford to!” The point is that hardly anyone who buys a piece of real estate has enough money in their account to pay for it. That’s where your banker comes in. Let’s face it. Do you know anyone that owns their own home? I mean truly own it? Probably not. Sure, you know a lot of people that have a house to their name, but wait until they get behind on their monthly mortgage payments and you will soon find out who really owns their house. That’s right, the bank. So if these people can use the bank’s money to buy a house, why can’t you?

Now ‘owning’ your own home may sound like a somewhat obvious way to get started in real estate, but it is also a very good way to do so. You might say “Duh…” But apparently this little step is overlooked by a lot of people. Just take a look at how many people are still renting a property instead of buying one. Now of course the relation between rent and housing prices varies from country to country and even from area to area. But wherever you go you will still find people renting, because in their mind “they don’t have enough money to buy a house.” In reality it would be much cheaper for them to buy!

When you rent, you are pretty much flushing your money down the toilet. Of course you are getting the pleasure of living, but the point is you’re not building anything long term. Every dollar you spend on rent is a dollar you will never see again. Whereas if you own your own home, instead of paying rent you would be paying for your mortgage. Even though there is a lot of variety in mortgages these days, the basics of practically all mortgages are more or less the same. Every month you make a payment which consists of two parts: interest and principle. The interest part can be compared to rent. Those dollars are gone with the wind and you will never hear from them again. However, the part of the payment that goes to the principle is money you keep. Every dollar that is used to pay off the principal is a dollar you put in your own pocket.

So if you’re thinking about getting started in real estate and you don’t ‘own’ your own house yet… Change it, and get some experience. It’s a great first step towards building your capital and in many cases, it just makes more sense financially. It can also supply a range of opportunities for accelerating the process of building your net worth. When real estate prices go up, so does the value of your property. Whereas the money you owe the bank, your mortgage, remains the same. In other words this helps you build your net worth. Compare this to people that are paying rent… Their net worth does nothing. However their landlord’s net worth is doing very nicely in this scenario and he or she will probably love you for it. So if you get a warm fuzzy feeling about making somebody else rich at your own expense… Keep renting. If you would rather build your own capital instead… Buy your own house!

Many home owners have accumulated more money through appreciation of their property than by working a full time job for many years. Now before you go out and buy the first property you lay eyes on, don’t forget that some security measures are in order here. As you may or may not know, real estate prices do not always go up, and certainly not in a straight line. Yep, this can be shocker to some people, as well as an ugly reminder for those who overlooked this minor detail in the past. If for some reason you would have to sell your home in a down market, it can be a costly adventure. You wouldn’t be the first to end up with a house worth considerably less than the mortgage resting on it. So make sure to keep some slack. In the long run real estate prices have always been on the rise, but in any cycle there are down periods. By keeping some slack and being patient you will be able to sit through these times and profit from the long term up-trend.

About the Author

Jim Mack is an expert on business, health and well being. He regularly contributes articles on these subjects. The Best Investing Tips

Real Estate Investing With No Money Down

April 24, 2009 by Kenny Santos  
Filed under Real Estate Investing

So you want to get into real estate, for personal or investment purposes, but you just do not have the cash to get you started. Purchasing real estate is still possible even with out a down payment.

Below are a few techniques, provided the seller is willing to negotiate and has a genuine interest in selling the property as soon as possible.

Buying with no money down.

The simplest method for real estate investment is to take over their mortgage payments. This is called assuming the mortgage. Naturally, you will need to be approved by the original lender to assume the mortgage. If you cannot be approved for an assumable mortgage, you may also try a subject to assumption mortgage, which means that you make the monthly payments while the property remains in the seller’s name.

What if the seller asks more than what the balance is on the mortgage?

If the seller wants a higher price than what is owed on the mortgage, you can still assume the mortgage and then get a second mortgage with the seller for the remaining cost of the house. Offer the seller a high interest-only payment for a short period, for example two or three years.

At the end of the term on the second mortgage, you should be able to refinance the property and pay off the seller. Unless there has been a downward trend in real estate, your real estate investment should have gained value in a few years.

There is no mortgage to assume-then what?

A majority of mortgage lenders want to make a good investment. While your local bank may still shy away there are plenty of financial lenders that would love to make a deal and finance your loan.

Finance companies like real estate. The mortgage is usually based on 60-70% of the value of the property, so as long as they know they will get their money back in the value of the property if you default. Complete the deal with a second mortgage created with the seller.

As you can see, there are ways to invest in real estate as long as the buyer and seller work together.

For more information about real estate investing and home financing, visit http://www.realestateinvestmentanswers.com and http://www.homefinancinganswers.com

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